The emergency medicine laboratory contained three things nobody wanted to see before nine in the morning.
A mannequin on the floor.
A monitor producing a flat line.
And Mr. Kim holding a clipboard.
JP stopped at the door.
"Which one is the assessment?"
"Enter," Mr. Kim said.
"That did not answer the question."
"Enter faster."
We entered.
The flat line continued until the emergency medicine instructor connected the loose cable beneath the mannequin's shirt. A normal rhythm appeared.
"The patient survived poor equipment preparation," JP whispered. "A powerful lesson."
TZ sat beside him.
"You will be removed first."
"Then remember me accurately."
Eleven chairs faced the simulation bay.
The same division from pathology reappeared, but Mr. Kim had taped names to the seats before we arrived.
I sat between June and NS.
Kitty sat directly behind us.
JP stared at his assigned chair beside TZ.
"They are using state power to force reconciliation."
"Sit down," TZ said.
Across the second row, NC, Anna, Jihye, Bunny, and Cherry discovered that their names had also been mixed.
Nobody argued with the seating.
We simply looked offended by furniture.
The instructor wrote ALTERED MENTAL STATUS across the board.
"This is not a diagnosis," she said. "It is a description. Confusion, unusual behavior, reduced alertness, agitation, or unconsciousness can result from many causes. Your first task is not to display how many causes you memorized. Your first task is to keep the patient alive."
She pointed toward the mannequin.
"What comes first?"
"Scene safety," Anna said.
"Then responsiveness and calling for help," NC added.
The instructor nodded.
"After that, use a structured primary assessment."
She wrote five letters beneath the heading.
A: AIRWAY
B: BREATHING
C: CIRCULATION
D: DISABILITY
E: EXPOSURE
"Treat life threats as you find them. Do not complete the alphabet while the patient stops breathing."
JP raised his hand.
"Can emotional damage be assessed under disability?"
"No."
"Then this course remains incomplete."
Mr. Kim wrote something on his clipboard.
JP lowered his hand.
The instructor continued.
"Altered behavior may be caused by head injury, low oxygen, low blood glucose, stroke, seizure, infection, metabolic disturbance, alcohol, medication, or another toxic exposure. In real care, your differential remains broad. In first response, your priorities remain simple. Airway. Breathing. Circulation. A rapid neurologic check. Blood glucose early. History from anyone who witnessed the change."
"What if the patient refuses care?" Bunny asked.
"Capacity matters. A confused person may not understand the risk or consequences well enough to make an informed decision. Do not turn a medical emergency into an argument. Call appropriate help and protect the patient while trained responders assess them."
June wrote the sentence down.
NS did too.
I watched both pens move at the same time.
Kitty tapped the back of my chair.
I faced forward.
The first station used a standardized patient, a senior nursing student named May, who lay on a padded floor beside an overturned chair.
Our team received a card.
PATIENT FOUND CONFUSED IN UNIVERSITY CAFETERIA. MEDICAL HISTORY UNKNOWN.
The instructor assigned roles.
"XH leads. Kitty assesses airway and breathing. NS checks circulation and obtains vital signs. June assesses disability and gathers history. JP calls for assistance and records events."
JP looked at his blank sheet.
"The historian is always blamed later."
"Begin."
I approached May.
"The scene is safe. Hello, can you hear me?"
May opened her eyes but did not focus.
"Where am I?"
"You are at Utopia University. My name is XH. We are going to help you."
Kitty knelt near her head.
"Airway is open. Breathing is present, regular, sixteen per minute."
NS checked the simulated pulse.
"Radial pulse ninety-eight. Skin cool and sweaty."
"Call campus emergency response," I told JP.
JP lifted the training phone.
"Adult patient with acute confusion, breathing normally, circulation present. We are in Emergency Laboratory Two."
June crouched beside May.
"Can you tell me your name?"
"May."
"Do you know what day it is?"
"Friday?"
"It is Wednesday. Did you fall?"
"I don't know."
The instructor handed June a witness card.
"Her friend says she skipped breakfast and became shaky during class," June read. "She uses insulin."
"Check glucose," I said.
NS had already reached for the training glucometer.
"Two point six millimoles per liter."
"Hypoglycemia," Kitty said.
May remained awake and able to swallow, so we administered simulated oral glucose under the station instructions and reassessed her.
Within the scenario, her speech became clearer.
The instructor stopped the clock.
"Three minutes, forty-one seconds. Safe result. What could improve?"
NS removed his gloves.
"The glucose check should have happened earlier."
"It happened within two minutes," I said.
"It could happen within one."
"After airway and breathing."
"I did not say before them."
"Then phrase your criticism accurately."
The instructor looked at Mr. Kim.
"Do they always do this?"
Mr. Kim checked his clipboard.
"More often after examinations."
June stood.
"He is right that we could check it earlier next time."
I looked at her.
"Nobody said he was wrong."
"Your face did."
Kitty pulled off her gloves.
"His face isn't part of the assessment."
"It keeps requesting consultation," June replied.
JP raised the training phone again.
"Emergency response, our team has survived the patient but may not survive debriefing."
May laughed from the floor.
The instructor assigned the next team before we could create another pathology tutorial.
NC led Bunny, Cherry, Anna, Jihye, and TZ through a simulated post-seizure patient.
They protected the mannequin from injury, timed the event, assessed breathing when the movement stopped, and placed it in the recovery position.
Cherry almost put a plastic airway device between its teeth during the seizure.
Anna stopped her.
"Nothing in the mouth."
"It doesn't have real teeth."
"The assessment has real marks."
Bunny recorded the duration.
Jihye found a medical-alert bracelet hidden beneath the mannequin's sleeve.
TZ gave the handover without missing one fact.
When the instructor praised them, JP applauded.
"The opposition governs effectively."
NC pointed at him.
"We are not the opposition."
"That is what a governing party says."
Even June smiled.
For several minutes, the laboratory felt like Year One again.
All eleven of us teased the same person.
Nobody checked which side the laughter came from.
Then the instructor reset the simulation bay.
She placed a clear plastic cup on the table.
The room became serious before she spoke.
"Final case," she said. "This station combines emergency assessment, first aid, and safeguarding."
The screen displayed a nightclub photograph.
Blue light.
Crowded dance floor.
A glass left near the edge of a table.
Cherry looked toward Bunny.
"That is specific."
"It is Friday's guardian angel," JP said.
Mr. Kim folded his arms.
The instructor read the scenario.
"A twenty-one-year-old woman has consumed one alcoholic drink over ninety minutes. Her friends report a sudden change. She is drowsy, confused, poorly coordinated, and unable to clearly explain what happened. Her symptoms appear greater than expected from the amount reported. What concerns you?"
"Possible poisoning or drink tampering," Jihye said.
"Alcohol could still contribute," NS added. "But we should not assume alcohol explains everything."
"Correct. A person who seems far more intoxicated than expected needs help. You do not know the substance, dose, interaction, or intent. Treat the patient, not your guess."
She looked around the room.
"What do you do?"
"Move her to a safer area with trusted people," NC said.
"Stay with her," Bunny added.
"Assess airway, breathing, circulation, level of consciousness, and glucose," June said.
"Call emergency medical services and state that poisoning or spiking is suspected," NS said.
"Do not let her walk away with a stranger," Kitty said.
"Keep the glass," Anna added. "Ask staff not to discard it."
The instructor nodded.
"Preserve it if this can be done safely. Note who handled it. Venue staff may also secure camera footage. Medical care comes before evidence, but evidence should not be destroyed through carelessness."
JP lifted one hand.
"Coffee?"
"No."
"Cold shower?"
"No."
"Walk around until the person becomes normal?"
"No."
"Make them vomit?"
"Absolutely not."
She faced the entire class.
"Do not give food or drink to a drowsy person who may not swallow safely. Do not induce vomiting. Do not leave them alone to sleep it off. If they become unresponsive but continue breathing normally, place them in the recovery position and monitor them. If breathing becomes abnormal or absent, begin the appropriate resuscitation response and use an AED when indicated."
The room stayed quiet.
"One more point," she said. "A severely confused or impaired person cannot give meaningful consent. Protect their dignity. Do not photograph them. Do not joke about what they drank. Do not decide they caused the emergency."
June's pen stopped.
NS looked toward the nightclub image.
The upper tables were visible above the dance floor.
His phone vibrated inside his pocket.
He ignored it.
The instructor selected five students for the live scenario.
June became the patient.
NS became team leader.
Kitty managed airway and breathing.
I assessed circulation and disability.
JP called for help.
"This distribution feels politically motivated," JP said.
"Your patient is deteriorating," the instructor replied.
June sat against the simulated club wall with her head lowered. Her role card instructed her to answer slowly and lose focus.
NS knelt in front of her.
"June, look at me. Can you tell me where you are?"
She lifted her eyes.
"Somewhere loud."
"You are in the emergency lab. We are helping you."
Kitty checked the airway.
"Open. Breathing ten per minute and shallow."
"Call now," NS told JP.
JP used the training phone.
"Possible toxic exposure. Twenty-one-year-old woman, sudden confusion and drowsiness after one reported drink. Breathing is slow."
I checked the simulated pulse and reached for the glucometer.
"Pulse sixty. Glucose normal."
"Keep monitoring," NS said.
"I know."
June's head fell sideways.
NS supported her shoulder before it struck the wall.
The monitor alarm changed.
A recorded ambulance siren began outside the simulation bay.
The sound passed through me.
The laboratory vanished.
Red metal scraped against pavement.
My body hung against a seat belt.
Something warm entered my eye.
Far down an empty road, blue lights moved but did not become closer.
I tried to lift my hand.
It did not move.
Someone was waiting beneath the lights of NeverMore Palace.
Someone had been waiting for years.
The siren faded.
"XH."
The voice came from behind glass.
"XH!"
The laboratory returned.
Kitty held my wrist.
NS had taken the glucometer from my hand.
June was no longer acting drowsy. She was staring at me.
The instructor stopped the simulation.
"Sit down."
"I am fine."
"That was not a question."
Mr. Kim brought a chair.
I sat because refusing would have created a larger scene.
"How long?" Kitty asked.
"I heard the siren."
"How long were you gone?"
I looked at the wall clock.
Twenty-seven seconds had passed.
It felt like the road had held me for minutes.
"I don't know."
NS stood beside June.
"He froze during the assessment," he said.
"We all saw it," Kitty replied.
"Then someone should say what it means."
"It means the siren triggered something," June said.
"It means he should not lead a patient team until he gets assessed."
The sentence was clinically reasonable.
That was why it hurt.
I stood.
"You took over. Congratulations."
"This is not about winning."
"Everything becomes about winning when you are in the room."
NS stepped closer.
"If you freeze when something real happens, the patient does not care about your pride."
"And if you keep waiting for me to fail, eventually you will call it preparation."
"I don't need you to fail."
"No. You just need everyone to watch you replace me."
June stood between us before either moved again.
"Stop. Both of you."
Kitty remained beside me.
Her hand closed around my sleeve.
Mr. Kim's clipboard struck the metal table once.
The sound ended the room.
"XH will report to Student Health now," he said. "The rest of you will complete the debrief without commentary."
"I have a therapist appointment tomorrow."
"Student Health now. Therapist tomorrow."
"Mr. Kim."
"That was also not a question."
JP collected my bag.
Nobody made a joke.
That frightened me almost as much as the road.
Student Health recorded normal blood pressure, oxygen saturation, heart rate, and glucose.
Normal numbers did not explain twenty-seven missing seconds.
The clinician documented the episode and told me not to drive until I had been medically assessed for the recurrent loss of awareness.
"I don't drive to campus," I said.
Kitty sat beside the examination bed.
"That is not what she said."
The clinician looked at her.
"Are you family?"
Kitty and I answered at the same time.
"No."
"Almost."
The clinician looked between us.
"I will write down the instructions."
After she left, I turned toward Kitty.
"Almost?"
"You were busy pretending your brain left the room for fun."
"That sentence will improve the medical record."
She did not smile.
"What did you see?"
"The same road."
"Anything new?"
I remembered warm blood entering my eye.
NeverMore Palace glowing somewhere I could not reach.
"No."
Kitty knew I was lying.
She moved closer anyway.
"Thursday at four-thirty," she said.
"I know."
"I am coming with you."
"You cannot join the session."
"I can sit outside."
"Why?"
"Because somebody should still be there when you come back."
Wind struck the clinic window.
The glass shook once.
I closed my hand around hers.
"Fine."
It was the closest thing to gratitude I could manage.
Dr. Lola posted the practical scores that evening.
NS received the highest mark for team leadership.
Kitty received the highest mark for airway assessment.
June received full marks for recognizing that symptoms did not match the reported alcohol intake.
JP received a written note beside his score.
EXCELLENT EMERGENCY CALL. FEWER JOKES DURING ACTIVE ASSESSMENT.
He shared it in our private chat.
JP: THEY RECOGNIZE MY RANGE.
ANNA: THEY ASKED FOR LESS OF IT.
JP: SCARCITY INCREASES VALUE.
For several minutes, the messages felt ordinary.
Then Bunny posted in the cohort channel.
BUNNY: AFTER TODAY, ARE WE STILL GOING TO BLISS?
Cherry answered first.
CHERRY: YES. WE STAY TOGETHER. WE WATCH OUR DRINKS. WE LEAVE TOGETHER.
TZ: TRANSPORT PLAN TOMORROW.
JUNE: I'M STILL GOING.
NS replied privately to June.
NS: STAY NEAR ME.
She stared at the message before typing.
JUNE: STOP GIVING ORDERS.
NS: IS THAT A NO?
Her answer took longer.
JUNE: IT ISN'T A YES.
NS read it as something between both.
Thursday divided us by destination again.
June and NS walked toward the international-program briefing at Campus 1.
Kitty and I walked toward the counseling center near the South Gate.
We crossed beside the empty Grand Fountain.
June carried a blue folder marked UNITED KINGDOM PATHWAYS.
I carried the Student Health report documenting twenty-seven seconds I could not remember.
Neither of us asked what the other planned to do with the future in their hands.
"Good luck," June said.
I could not tell whether she meant the appointment or everything after it.
"You too."
NS held the counseling-center door open as he passed.
"Tell them about the siren," he said.
His voice contained no mockery.
That made it harder to reject.
"I was planning to."
"Plan faster."
Kitty stepped between us before the sentence could grow teeth.
"Your briefing is starting."
June touched NS's arm.
He followed her across the fountain.
For once, no one won the exchange.
The therapist read the Student Health report twice.
Kitty waited outside with my bag and a bottle of water.
Inside, the office clock made a small sound every second.
"You described the road during our previous session," the therapist said. "What changed yesterday?"
"I was inside the vehicle this time."
"Were you driving?"
"I don't know."
"What could you see?"
"Red metal. Broken glass. A seat belt. An ambulance far away."
"Anything else?"
I looked at the rain beginning against the window.
The weather application still showed zero chance.
"NeverMore Palace."
"Could you see the building?"
"No. I knew someone was waiting there."
"Who?"
The answer existed behind a door in my mind.
June in white.
Kitty beneath the entrance lights.
NS holding pages beneath a sky I did not recognize.
The images disappeared before I could understand them.
"I don't know."
The therapist placed the report on the desk.
"These episodes may be intensified by stress, but recurrent loss of awareness also needs medical evaluation. I want you to follow Student Health's referral. Until a clinician clears you, do not drive. If another episode occurs, note what happened before it, how long it lasted, and what someone beside you observed."
"Kitty already times them."
"Then allow her to help without making her responsible for keeping you alive."
The sentence remained in the room after the clock moved forward.
When I emerged, Kitty stood immediately.
"How much did you tell them?"
"Almost everything."
"What did you keep?"
"The part I don't understand."
"That is all of it."
"Then I demonstrated consistency."
She handed me the water.
"You are impossible."
"Grandmother said complicated."
"She was being polite."
My phone vibrated.
Grandmother had sent a photograph of another appointment card.
CHEST IMAGING: MONDAY, 10:00 A.M.
Beneath it, she had written:
DO NOT MISS CLASS. YOUR AUNT IS TAKING ME.
Kitty read the message over my shoulder.
"We are visiting Sunday."
"She said not to miss class."
"Sunday is not class."
"You have become difficult very quickly."
"Your family is contagious."
Across the courtyard, June and NS left the briefing together beneath one umbrella.
She held the UK folder against her chest.
He tilted the umbrella toward her and allowed rain to cover half his shoulder.
Kitty saw them.
She did not ask where I was looking.
She placed her hand inside mine.
This time, I held it before she had to remind me.
In another part of Yandong, VT received confirmation that the upper table would be served by a private attendant.
He sent PL a photograph of the reservation card.
VT: EVERYTHING IMPORTANT HAPPENS ABOVE THE DANCE FLOOR.
PL enlarged the photograph.
Two names were written beneath his.
One was hers.
The other was June's.
PL typed a question.
PL: WHY IS HER NAME THERE?
VT did not answer.
Outside her window, thunder crossed the city again.
The forecast continued to show clear skies.